The City of Greater Sudbury plays host this year to the North’s most prestigious celebration of business excellence. The 19th annual Northern Ontario Business Awards (NOBA) program takes place at the new Radisson Hotel (formerly Ramada Inn) on Thursday, October 6. Attendees from around the North will participate in a variety of activities, including a new half-day conference being held at the Holiday Inn.
The NOBA program is an initiative designed to recognize and activate successful business throughout the region by hosting an annual awards gala. It brings together the North’s business community to be inspired by the success stories of award recipients.
NOBA is also an exceptional opportunity to network and share ideas.
“The key to the spirit of Northern Ontario is our shared experience,” says Michael Atkins, president of the Laurentian Media Group, parent company of Northern Ontario Business. “We are not just in business, we live in a very special place that needs our enterprise.”
This is the first time since 2000 that the event will be held in Sudbury.
The program rotates among the five major centres of Northern Ontario. NOBA is held in a different city each year—Sudbury, Thunder Bay, North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie or Timmins.
There are nine award categories: company of the year (three sizes), entrepreneur, young entrepreneur, entrepreneurial community, innovation, First Nations business, and Judges’ Choice. The latter was initiated in 2004. This award winner is selected from among all nominees residing in the host
community, in this case, Greater Sudbury.
Also recognized during the gala will be the annual Union Gas scholarship winner. The winner of this essay competition earns a $3,000 post-secondary scholarship. A record 46 submissions were received from high schools all across Northern Ontario this year.
More than 500 guests are expected at the gala, and another 300 are expected to register for the morning conference entitled, “Emerging Leaders: Succession Planning for Community.”
Greater Sudbury Mayor David Courtemanche is looking forward to welcoming representatives from the North’s business community at both events.
“It is evident that the entrepreneurial spirit is very much alive in our communities,” he says.
Tickets for the gala are $160.50. Registration for the conference is $45 per person. Corporate tables of eight are also available for both events.
Online registration is available by visiting www.noba.ca.
Program details are added regularly.
For more information, contact Brianne Cartmill at 1-800-757-2766 / 705-673-5667 ext. 306 or e-mail brianne@nob.on.ca.
CTV will broadcast a special half-hour documentary featuring the award winners on Sunday, October 16th at 6:30 p.m.
Marlene Moore is director of Executive programs with Northern Ontario Business. She can be reached at 1-800-757-2766 ext. 351 and at marlene@nob.on.ca.
